The Nields

I {heart} Nerissa and Katryna Nields.

Been a longtime fan of their music and somehow, in the odd connectedness of Facebook, I wound up, utterly charmed, reading Katryna’s daily doings with gutters and kids and whatnot posted to “friends” for a little while there (I think she’s reined it back a bit in that forum, or closed down who gets to read her patter, fair enough).

Not long ago the Northampton, MA-based duo visited Chicago for a kids’ show literally a 15 minute walk from my apartment at Old Town School of Folk– and I was gonna go, I really was. Had it emblazoned with smileyfaces and stars and exclamation points on the calendar. And I don’t know what happened. Blame it on the lurking agoraphobia I’m prone to, but somehow I just ended up staying home that Sunday morning– and I missed it. Just kills me. I missed it, and they don’t get back this way to play very often. Blah and blah and blah.

Anyway– color me all the happier to discover the sisters’ collaborative blog:

Singing in the Kitchen

So, so good.

And here’s a nice, thoughtfully reflective interview with Nerissa in our local rag:

Individuality and the Art of Endurance: An Interview with Nerissa Nields

this morning

raspberry muffins and russian angst.

On a rugged cliff, the very edge, above the endless chasm I keep lashing at my horses with my whip clenched in a spasm But the air is growing thinner, I am gasping, drowning, crying I can sense with horrid wonder, I am vanishing, I’m dying
chorus: Slow your gallop, oh my horses! Slow your gallop I say! Don’t you listen to my stinging whip! But the horses I was given, stubborn and so unforgiving, Can’t complete the life I’m living, cant conclude the verse I’m singing
final chorus: Can’t complete the life I’m living, at least let me finish singing
I will stop for a blink, I will let horses drink For a brief second more, I will stand on the brink…
I will perish, as a feather that the hurricane has swallowed, In a chariot they’ll pull me through the snow in blinding gallop All I ask of you my horses, slow your pace but for a moment To prolong the final seconds of approach to my last comfort
chorus
We have made it. Right on time, God has left us with few choices But the why are angels singing with such fiendish scolding voices, Or it that the horse bell ringing in a frenzy drenched with tears, Or is it I the one who’s screaming for my horses to shift gears?
chorus

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carla bruni

so while we’ve been preoccupied over here with u.s. election primaries and outrageous weather and recession and whatnot, across the water a supermodel/singer-songwriter has married the french president. this is already old news to a lot of people, but I’m just coming to it this morning. I’ve had bruni’s album quelqu’un m’a dit on shuffle for a couple of years since jen and her france-visiting manfriend adi burned it for me. pretty music. check out her wikipedia writeup–quite the femme fatale.

music crush #2445

coming up on the third weekend of our friend kate’s curated series, method to madness, at links hall in chicago. attended performances last weekend with gina and laura, but I suspect this wkend will be better in part due to chris salveter’s (aka judson claiborne) participation.


… sorry, I had originally put a video of him playing live here– there are a few fan videos on youtube— but, oddly, when I try to embed and then play them, I get a message saying they’re no longer available. weird and annoying.
hmph.